The first two sets of Wednesday’s NEPSAC Class A Tournament quarterfinal-round match between second-seeded host Sacred Heart Greenwich and seventh-seeded neighborhood rival Greenwich Academy, went GA’s way, but the last three sets belonged to the Tigers.

And winning the final three sets of their showdown against the Gators earned the Tigers the right to do something they haven’t done in their program’s history – advance to, and host, the NESPAC Class A Tournament semifinals.

Sacred Heart posted a hard-fought 3-2 victory against visiting Greenwich Academy in the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinals, before a big, enthusiastic crowd. Now the Tigers will play host to third-seeded Phillips Exeter Academy in Saturday’s 5:30 p.m. NESPAC Class A semifinals.

“This is the highest New England finish that we’ve had as an A school,” Sacred Heart coach Beth Wilson-Jordan said. “This was the first time that we have advanced past the quarterfinals.”

Wilson-Jordan noted that Sacred Heart won the NEPSAC tournament championship as a class B school in 2009. The Tigers took Wednesday’s quarterfinal-round matchup over the Gators, 15-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17, 15-11.

“This is the third time this season where we’ve come from behind,” Wilson-Jordan said. “We did it at Rye Country Day and we did it at Greenwich Country Day. I’m so proud of them that fought really hard and came back.”

Greenwich Academy dropped a 3-0 decision at home to Sacred Heart, but like the Tigers, GA had a strong season and was impressive throughout Wednesday’s quarterfinal-round match in all aspects.

“GA was fantastic,” Wilson-Jordan said. “They brought it, they wanted it. Both teams were great, it was good volleyball.”

In the fifth and final set of the NEPSAC Class A quarterfinals, Greenwich Academy jumped out to a 5-2 lead, behind a kill from senior Casey Brower, an ace by Brower and a kill by senior Hailey Presser. However, the Tigers (21-3) gained the momentum by winning seven straight points to seize a 9-5 lead.

Three aces by junior Grace Gapen sparked Sacred Heart’s spurt. Effective serving from freshman Ana Pizzimbono helped keep the Tigers in front in the fifth game. The home team led by five points at 11-6, but GA closed to within 13-11 on an ace by Hannah Murray and a kill by Brower. Sacred Heart proceeded to win two straight points to close out the match and move on to Saturdays’ New England semifinals.

“I definitely think that GA played an amazing game, they came out so strong and they challenged us and pushed us to our limit,” SHG senior co-captain libero Emilia Bernal said. “They’ve had a great season. In those moments of pressure, we were saying that this could be our season. We were fighting for our seniors, we were fighting for our season and never gave up.”

Trailing 2-1, Sacred Heart forced the fifth and deciding set by winning the fourth set. The Tigers held the lead most of the way in the fourth game, building a lead of 20-11 after Bernal and senior middle hitter/co-captain Kaitlin Robinson each posted kills.

“We just knew that it was very important to stay together,” Robinson said. “Hard times like that aren’t supposed to happen, but our teamwork prevailed. This could have been our last game, so we gave everything we had.”

A kill and an ace by Brower gave GA advantages of 12-8 and 16-12 in the third set. The Gators were close to winning this NEPSAC quarterfinal-round matchup 3-0, as they held a 21-20 edge on the Tigers, thanks to a well-placed Brower tip.

Yet, Gapen, Robinson and Bernal fueled the home team’s comeback. Sacred Heart won the final five points of the third game to take it, 25-21 and close to within 2-1 in the match. Robinson capped the third game with a kill.

“I am incredibly proud of our team and our four senior leaders – Hailey Presser, Mariana Marti, Maddie Mendicina and Casey Brower – without their leadership, this is a different team,” Greenwich Academy coach Bryan Coloma said. “I’m super proud of them. Hopefully, we can continue to build off that going forward.”

“Kudos to Sacred Heart for coming back,” Coloma continued. “They played well. Emilia Bernal played an outstanding game.”

Said Gapen: “We started a little slow, but we came together as a team. We communicated, which is one of our strong suits and we just didn’t give up.”

After controlling the first set, Greenwich Academy trailed Sacred Heart 9-7 Robinson and junior Evangelyn Forte registered kills. An ace and a kill by Brower and stellar serving from teammate Devon Mahaffy put GA on top, 18-14, later in the second set. A block at the net by Robinson and steady play by freshman Ana Pizzimbono helped cut the Gators’ edge to 21-20, but Mahaffy’s kill closed out the first set, giving the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

“Kudos to GA they did a great job, they changed things from the first time we played them,” Wilson-Jordan noted. “Their serving was great.”

Close to having their season come to an end, the Tigers had to rally to win the third set and swing the momentum in their favor.

“It was a little stressful for sure, but our teamwork really brought us to the finish this time,” Bernal said. “We’re super excited, because we made Sacred Heart history. No Sacred Heart team has ever made it to the (NEPSAC Class A ) semis.”

As thrilling as the triumph was for Sacred Heart, that’s how disappointing it was for Greenwich Academy, which came extremely close to traveling to the New England semifinals.

Coloma credited his team, especially referencing the seniors.

“Maddie Mendicina set an incredible game,” he said. “She has been an absolute force in her decision making. Casey Brower, without her, this is a different team. She’s been on the team since she was in eighth grade, so it is really tough to see her and all four seniors leave. Hailey Presser and Mariana Marti both excelled and earned a spot on the team.”

The Sacred Heart-Phillips Exeter winner plays the winner between top-seeded Loomis Chaffee School and No. 4 Deerfield Academy in Sunday’s NEPSAC Class A final at Milton Academy at 2:30 p.m.

“We started to play Sacred Heart volleyball like we have all season,” Robinson said of the team’s comeback win versus GA. “We didn’t have a great first two sets, it happens, but we just made sure that we had teamwork and we worked hard.”